Coming off an impressive London derby thrashing of neighbors West Ham, Chelsea earlier today sought to continue their winning run as they visited Nottingham forest.
Playing a host looking to confirm their status as a premier league team for the second successful season, it was always going to be a tough tie for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
With Chelsea recording their second consecutive win, we take a look at the performance of Moises Caicedo.
Signed amidst loads of criticism from fans and pundits alike, the 22-year old Ecuadorian has come under immense and sometimes unfair criticism due to his ‘high’ transfer fee.
Splashing 115 million pounds to sign a defensive midfielder from Brighton & Hove Albion was certain to have many questioning the rationale behind the deal but Moisés Caicedo’s recent performances seems to have shut the lips of many such critics.
Playing as a Lone Ranger in the midfield for most parts of the second half and not looking out of sorts deserves the highest of praises but as has become customary this season, barely anyone is mentioning the name of the 22- year old.
92% pass accuracy and two chances created from deep both sum up how crucial Caicedo was to this win.
His on-ball value remains a huge part of what he brings to the team but that doesn’t affect his usual work-rate and defensive commitment (7 ball recoveries and 3 interceptions).
The former Brighton man has been in brilliant form over the past weeks but the previous imbalanced structure meant he had way too much ground to cover and that resulted in inconsistent showings by the 22-year old.
However, since Poch’s rejigging of the team’s structure, Caicedo has looked re-born with the new found license to roam given the extra cover due to the 3-2 rest defence structure now implemented by Pochettino and his coaching staff.
Coming back from the dungeons of defeat on to the mountain top of victory is always an unbelievable feeling and this result is certain to further improve the confidence and belief in the camp.
Next up for the Blues is a trip to the Amex stadium to take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the club’s continued quest for European qualification.
